June
by Professor Authordude
Summary: At the end of his youngest brother's first year, Charlie Weasley gets a firecall from his parents, letting him know Ron's been hurt. He heads to Hogwarts to make sure Ron's okay, and they have some much-delayed bonding time.


Disclaimer- JK Rowling owns the characters and events you recognize. This is just my spin on them. Alexandru Cãtãlin and Bratisalv Miklos are my own creations.

"talking"

'_thinking'_

**a trip to the Department of Backstory (aka flashback)**

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June

Year One

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"Charlie."

The twenty-six-year-old rolled over, trying to rid himself of the voice intent on disturbing his sleep. "G'way."

"Charlie, wake up."

His father's voice broke through the exhausted stupor. "Dad? Whazit?" Rubbing his eyes to clear his vision, Charlie sat up and looked at Arthur's head sitting in the campfire pit in his tent. Obviously, he never lit it; it was only there in case his parents had to contact him in a hurry (1).

"It's Ron. He's been injured—we don't know how badly yet. We're just leaving for Hogwarts. How quickly can you get here?"

"What time is it?" he asked, now fully awake and pulling on a robe over his pajamas.

"Not quite two."

"Meaning it's almost four here, then…" Charlie mused as he put on his shoes and grabbed a change of clothes. "Alex'll be up, most likely. I have to clear it with him, shouldn't take long. I'll meet you up there."

"Thanks, Charlie."

The moment his father's head had disappeared from the fire pit, the young man grabbed his wand and the rucksack with his clothes and walked out of the tent. As he had expected, Alexandru Cãtãlin was awake and standing outside the lodge. "Charlie," he acknowledged his colleague with a nod. "Wasn't expecting to see you up this early."

"Neither was I," was the rueful response. "Alex, I got a firecall from my father. My youngest brother's been injured, and—"

"Go see him, make sure he's alright." Alex cut him off before he could even ask to leave. "I know it's not easy for you to be so far away from your family. Your youngest brother's, what, thirteen?"

"Twelve, in March." Charlie's stomach began to churn at the thought of anything happening to his little brother.

"Go. Firecall within a few days, and let whoever's in the lodge know how long you'll be there. Don't rush; family's important."

"Thank you, Alex." He felt he should say something more, but for the life of him could not find the words.

The older man seemed to understand. "Give the kid our best."

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"It's a concussion," Arthur explained to his disheveled son, who had just been escorted to the infirmary by Professor McGonagall. After his conversation with Alex, Charlie had Apparated to Hogsmeade, then flew to the gates of Hogwarts where McGonagall had been waiting for him.

He found his entire family there, save Bill, who could not get away from Gringotts. Curse-breakers worked with very touchy materials, and Bill's leaving could have proved disastrous for a whole lot of people. The Weasleys were waiting for Charlie before Hermione explained what had happened, and then one of them would contact Bill.

They were clustered around an infirmary bed at one end of the wing, where a red-haired, freckled boy lay with a bandage wrapped around his head. Ron looked very pale under his bright hair, and much too still for his brother's liking.

"We're all here, Hermione, why don't you start?" Arthur said kindly to the girl sitting next to Molly.

Charlie immediately turned his attention to her; he had not even noticed the young witch in his preoccupation over Ron. Most of the letters he received over the year had painted Hermione as some sort of genius, but right now she looked more like a tired and scared twelve-year-old.

"It really started months ago, when we figured out there was a Philosopher's Stone hidden in the forbidden corridor." At the incredulous looks she was receiving, Hermione added, "Professor Dumbledore said I could tell you all this, it's not much of a secret anymore.

"We knew someone was trying to steal it, but we didn't think anyone could get past the three-headed dog in the corridor. This afternoon, or I guess it was yesterday, Harry realized Hagrid might have accidentally let it slip."

Charlie blinked, thinking it most likely had something to do with the dragon they had sent him earlier in the year. He made a mental note to ask her later, since she probably did not want his parents to find out about that any more than he did.

"Hagrid accidentally told _us_ how to get past the dog, so we knew he must have let it slip. We tried to go to Professor Dumbledore, but he was gone and Professor McGonagall didn't believe that the Stone was in any danger, so we… we went after it ourselves so You-Know-Who wouldn't get it."

Arthur, Molly, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, and Ginny all looked at her in disbelief. Charlie was pretty sure their thoughts were similar to his own. _'Three __**kids**__ went to stop You-Know-Who? And apparently succeeded?'_

"The dog was just the first obstacle in getting to the Stone. We got through the next two without much trouble, but—" she paused to swallow hard. "Then we got to the chess set. You see, the first was Devil's Snare, which I knew how to get past, and the second was catching a flying key, so Harry did that, and this—"

"Was Ron's obstacle," Percy finished for her. "He's brilliant at chess."

"It was Professor McGonagall's test. She transfigured the chess pieces to make them alive, and life-sized. We had to take the place of three pieces, and play our way across. It was all going fine until the end, when Ron had," she swallowed hard and fought back tears, and Molly gave her a hug. "He had to be taken. The white queen smashed him over the head—she didn't care that he was a real person instead of a chess piece. Then she dropped him on the pile with the other pieces. Harry checkmated the king in the next move, and we—" she choked on a sob. "We left. Ron told us to, once we won, so we left him there."

Charlie contemplated feeling angry with her, but knew his brother well enough to realize her recollection of Ron telling them to leave was completely in-character.

"The next obstacle was taken care of, and then we came to a logic puzzle with potions. There was only enough for Harry to go forward, so I went back to get Ron so we could find Professor Dumbledore and send him down to help Harry. It took a long time for Ron to wake up—because of the concussion, I guess—and he was really out of it while we were coming back. Once we got to the hospital wing, he collapsed, and, well, you know the rest."

The second-eldest Weasley sibling looked down at his little brother's pale face, and thanked every deity he could think of that Ron was still alive.

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It was another four hours before Ron woke up. Fred, George, Percy, and Hermione had gone off to eat before classes started, Ginny was sleeping in Hermione's dorm, and Molly and Arthur were talking to Bill in Dumbledore's fireplace. Charlie was the only one left at Ron's bedside when the twelve-year-old opened his eyes and blinked at his brother in confusion. "Charlie?"

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Um, okay, I guess." Ron put one hand up to the bandage on his head. "Wait, what happened to Harry? Is he okay? Hermione?"

"Calm down, little brother." Charlie reached out and gently pulled Ron's hand away from the bandage. "How's your head? Does it still hurt? Are you dizzy?"

"Too many questions," he said as he shot his brother an impish smile. "No, my head's fine. No dizziness, no nausea, no pressure. Concussion?"

"You got it."

"I think it's healed, or mostly. But seriously, are Harry and Hermione okay?"

"Hermione's fine, but we're still waiting for Harry to wake up. He's not injured, or anything, but Madam Pomfrey guesses he had some sort of trauma dealing with You-Know-Who."

"How long was I out? And wait, when did you get here? I thought you were in Romania."

"About six hours all told, last night, and I was until Dad firecalled me to tell me you were hurt. Bill would've come too, but his work is of a more delicate nature than mine. You sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good." Moving from his chair to the edge of the bed, Charlie hugged his youngest brother tightly. "Merlin, Ronnie, you gave me such a scare."

More tired than he wanted to admit, Ron rested his head on Charlie's shoulder and listened to the soothing heartbeat as he hugged him in return. "Sorry. Didn't mean to. But we couldn't let You-Know-Who get the Stone."

That was the scariest part. He could not even tell him never to do it again, as much as he would like to say "Sod the world, just keep my brother safe." Now that Ron had befriended the skinny, dark-haired boy three beds over, Charlie had the feeling this would not be the only time his brother would be hurt in the course of saving the wizarding world. "Stay safe, Ronnie. I can't tell you not to do it again… but I can tell you that you never have to do anything alone. Owl me, firecall me, whatever. I don't care when or why, and I'll come. Promise me."

Ron leaned back a little to look at his second-oldest brother. He had honestly not thought about what effect his injury would have on anyone else. At the time, he was focused entirely on what needed to be done. But Charlie's face was shadowed, and his blue eyes were still full of worry for his baby brother.

They had always been two of kind, Ron and Charlie. Charlie was the second eldest, sandwiched between two genius siblings. It had taken him some time to get used to having brothers, as he was ten years old when Percy was born. Then came the twins when he was twelve, and Ron when he was fourteen. Fred and George came early, so Bill and Charlie (in their first and fourth years, respectively—sometimes Charlie hated having a December birthday) had gotten the owl on April 2nd, saying that they had two new brothers. Ronnie was born in March of his third year, and Charlie was allowed to leave school for the day to be with his family as they gained their newest member.

**Much to Bill's bad luck, he was not excused from his Apparating class, so eldest sibling duties fell to Charlie that day. He sat with three-year-old Percy, while Arthur ran herd on the not-quite-two-year-old twins. Even at such a young age, Percy was very independent, which made his older brother feel superfluous. Charlie had been looking forward to having younger brothers to give guidance to, and be the cool older brother Bill had been for him. Percy hardly seemed to need it, and the twins lived in their own little world.**

**It was midafternoon when the Healer walked out of the room, saying that the new baby was a healthy boy, and they could come in and see him. Arthur beamed proudly as he was handed Ronald Bilius, and Fred and George climbed into the hospital bed with their mother. "You like to hold him, Charlie?" Arthur turned to his second child.**

"**Oh Arthur, is that—"**

"**He's fourteen, Molly."**

**She sighed. "I'd like to keep him little for a while longer yet, but you're right. Would you like to hold him, sweetie?"**

"**I—yeah. I would." Charlie hardly knew what to think, but faint hope bloomed in him that maybe this would be the brother who followed him around, to whom he gave guidance—the one who needed him.**

**Carefully, the Weasley patriarch placed baby Ron in the teenager's arms, and gently steered him into a chair. The infant, already with a tuft of red hair on his head, yawned, and then opened his eyes.**

**Time ground to a standstill as Charlie and Ron looked at each other for a long moment, then the baby snuggled into his brother's chest and fell back to sleep, clutching Charlie's robe in one tiny fist.**

"**I think he likes you, Charlie," Arthur smiled but made no move to take his youngest son back. This was, after all, the last Charlie would get to see him before the end of the school year.**

"**Good," the fourteen-year-old murmured. "Because I like him too."**

**Four months later, when he and Bill got off the train, Arthur was waiting to Side-Along them home. As they arrived in the kitchen, Molly smiled at her two boys, then deposited a baby in Charlie's arms. "I think he missed you, dear."**

**Grinning down at little Ronnie, who had grown a lot, he was surprised to see a smile in return. "Uh, Mum? Does he do that often?" He was not aware babies could smile.**

"**Would you look at that, Arthur." His mother kissed the top of his head. "He really does like you, Charlie. That's the first smile I've seen from him."**

:new flashback:

**Ron was just over a year old when Ginny was born. Like Percy's, her birthday was in August, so everyone could be there at St. Mungo's. Arthur was once again responsible for the increasingly-mischievous twins, while Bill sat and read a book with Percy, who was only eleven days away from his fifth birthday. Charlie ran around the waiting room in pursuit of his baby brother. After standing at eleven months, Ronnie had rapidly learned to walk and then run—and since that point he only stopped running to eat and sleep.**

**Charlie gamely chased him, knowing that within ten minutes the toddler would crash for his midmorning nap. Sure enough, seven minutes later (and one hour into Molly's labor), Ron curled up in Charlie's lap and fell asleep for the next three hours. He was an excellent napper, and slept like the dead for long periods of time. Labors in the magical world were not nearly as long as those in the Muggle world, but a baby was nothing to be rushed.**

**Ronnie was still asleep when Ginevra Molly was born, but his brother did not mind carrying him into the room. Charlie smiled at his new sister as he held his baby brother on his hip, and watched his parents coo over little Ginny.**

"**You finally got your girl, love," Arthur gently ran his hand over his wife's hair.**

**Inwardly, Charlie frowned. That sounded an awful lot like they had been trying for a girl for years, and his youngest brothers were simply products of their failure to do that. He knew his parents loved all of them very much, he just disliked the implications of that statement, and hoped Ronnie would never hear it repeated.**

'_**I wasn't hoping for a girl, little mate. I wanted a baby brother… but I didn't dare hope for one as cool as you. And I'll always be here for you, no matter what.'**_

:end flashback:

"I'm okay, Charlie," Ron said softly, trying to assuage the worry shadowing his brother's eyes.

The effort coaxed a smile from the older man. "I know you are, little mate." He pressed Ron's head back against his shoulder, and gave him a gentle squeeze. "Bit too close of a call for my piece of mind. But I'm proud of you."

"For what? I didn't stop You-Know-Who or anything like Harry did."

Charlie shook his head, and rested his cheek atop his baby brother's hair. "Is Harry a good chess player? Or Hermione?"

"No," replied Ron, confused over what his brother was getting at. "Rubbish, both of them."

"Then could they have gotten past the obstacle by themselves?"

"Guess not…"

"You didn't hesitate, Ronnie. Even after seeing how brutal that bloody chess piece was when it took out the other pieces, you still sacrificed yourself without thinking twice about it." The thought made him cold. "You could've died, but you still did the right thing. That is so bloody brave, and you have no idea how proud I am." He had never said the words much, had always taken for granted that his family knew how much he cared about them. After this, he would never take it for granted again. "I love you, little mate. Don't go dying on me."

Ron hugged his brother tightly, blinking back the suspicious burning feeling behind his eyes. "Love you too, Charlie."

A kiss brushed against his temple, and they stayed contentedly there for a long time.

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"Harry, mate, how are you feeling?" It was the first Ron had seen Harry awake since the chess game.

"Alright, I guess. You? How's your head?"

"Fine. It was just a concussion. Shame you didn't wake up yesterday, I wanted to introduce you to Charlie."

"Wait, Charlie was here?"

"Yeah, but he had to go back to Romania yesterday, since I was conscious and perfectly fine."

"You thank him for taking Norbert off our hands?"

"Course I did. Apparently he's a right hit at the preserve."

"Good. Wish I could've met him, though. Charlie, not Norbert. I've had enough of Norbert."

Ron laughed. "Me too, mate. But don't worry, if we get into this much trouble every year, I'm sure you'll meet Charlie soon."

And oh how right he was.

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(1)—Obviously, I'm taking some liberties here. But I assumed a family as tight as the Weasleys would want to be able to contact Bill and Charlie in a hurry if necessary, and sending an owl to Egypt and/or Romania would not be remotely fast. So Charlie gets a firepit but no fire inside his tent.

Note- Though I originally intended for this to be a series, I have been out of the fandom for five years. This is all there will be. Thanks for reading.


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